NEWCASTLE United fans feared the worst when the summer transfer window slammed shut, with only the arrival of Dutchman Vurnon Anita ticking the box when it comes to the “senior squad member” bracket.

NEWCASTLE United fans feared the worst when the summer transfer window slammed shut, with only the arrival of Dutchman Vurnon Anita ticking the box when it comes to the “senior squad member” bracket.

Well, before the clocks have even gone back and those long winter nights kick in, some of those fears are beginning to be realised.

Should Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Tim Krul and Yohan Cabaye all make it back for the next game with Sunderland and stay fit, then it could be a case of “Crisis? What Crisis?”

Yet the recent spate of injuries has demonstrated why many Toon fans and observers have nightmares about the lack of depth and experience in the current squad.

Alan Pardew will try to galvanise his squad, keep spirits high and work a similar type of magic that resulted in United punching above their weight last term.

The top-five finish raised expectations, but rather than beef up their squad with senior players worthy of taking Newcastle to the next level, United stuck to their guns.

Those guns are a policy that won’t see the wage bill hit the type of astronomical levels that made club finances grim reading just two or three years ago.

Some fans feel that failing to add to the squad could result in a repeat of the Freddy Shepherd era when only the arrival of Lee Bowyer in the summer of 2003 saw the club slip out of the coveted top four.

Yet so much has changed since those days, in terms of finances in the world, club politics, ownership and change of direction.

The Magpies began the season with hopes of challenging once again for the top four.

But even though the campaign is still young, there is one league table in which they are undisputed leaders – the Premier League injury table.

Of course, injuries are part and parcel of football – but not for the first time the Magpies are not getting the rub of the green with injuries.

For many fans it’s worrying, especially when bodies start to run out.

Newcastle’s stringent blue-print will not allow them to pack the squad with senior professionals who command high wages.

According to some fans, this leaves the first-team vulnerable and the question of realistically challenging for the top four wide open.

It means that fringe players and youngsters must cover when the injuries bite hard.

With the Europa League an added sideshow to the campaign for Pardew’s squad this term, he was always going to see his roster stretched to the limited if absentees began to build up.

Resting players in the early stages of the Europa League worked to an extent.

But some of Pardew’s “European night team” have been hit hard by injury already, such as Haris Vuckic, Dan Gosling and Ryan Taylor.

Promising Vuckic is out for the season after sustaining knee damage in the reserves at Villa Park this week.

The stretcher was still warm at Villa when Gosling quickly followed him down the tunnel.

Both will have Ryan Taylor for company in the treatment room following more knee bother in the second leg of the Atromitos play-off game.

With keepers Rob Elliot and Tim Krul also picking up knocks, you have to wonder where the Magpies would be without Steve Harper?

Harper was farmed out on loan last season and many saw him as surplus to requirements.

But the long-serving shot-stopper was told he would be needed on the first day of pre-season training.

The real worry for United fans is the centre-back area.

With Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor both fighting for match fitness ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby, the gaps have been plugged by fielding James Perch and Mike Williamson.

It is a position in which Newcastle are clearly vulnerable.

James Tavernier certainly has promise, but the Yorkshireman has a long way to go to learn his trade.

After that you are looking at rookies.

The Magpies did bring in Aussie defender Curtis Good in the summer, but the former Melbourne Heart man has yet to taste any first-team involvement. South Shields teenager Remie Streete would also have been at least pushing for the first-team bench but for an ankle injury last term.

Talking about hot prospects is one thing, but Newcastle’s aim at the start of the season was to be battling for the top four – and they are already five points behind their rivals.

So what would have been the answer?

Many of the Toon faithful would have been enthused to see the likes of Mathieu Debuchy arrive this summer, while the addition of Douglas from FC Twente and another striker would have beefed up Pardew’s options.

Of course there’s nothing to say that they wouldn’t have been struck by what seems to be an injury curse on Tyneside.

Especially when it comes to what are now becoming dreaded international breaks.

Shane Ferguson has already suffered a couple of niggles while on duty with Northern Ireland and he returned home early with a hip problem.

Throw in the fact Yohan Cabaye picked up an abdominal problem, coupled with Krul’s elbow injury from the last international break, and it’s fair to say that United could feel they’ve already used up enough bad luck on that front to last them a season.

Whether Cabaye and Ferguson are unavailable at Sunderland remains to be seen.

But the one thing that you can’t take away from the Magpies is team spirit.

Graeme Souness went down this road in 2005 and switched the first-team training base to the Academy, where he felt there were better pitches and ones that wouldn’t add to the spate of injuries.

Yet the long list of problems also coincided with the isolation of Bobby Robson’s former strength and conditioning coach Paul Winsper, now working as one of the top men in his field in the United States and Canada with the US national team, Nike and Toronto FC.

Souey wasn’t the only one to get negative when injuries increased. Joe Kinnear also bleated about how he had a “whole team” out injured as the club slipped towards the Championship in 2009.

Yet Pardew, John Carver and the rest of the backroom staff are happy to let their highly-rated medical team get on with the job in the treatment room.

Indeed, their view is when one door shuts, another opens. In a recent interview Pardew claimed he didn’t categorise his squad members as “fringe players” or “youngsters”, and indicated they were all “first-team professionals.”

Pardew has always worked with what he has got since taking over at Newcastle.

It is a positive outlook and his approach has been rewarded with results and acknowledgment from the Geordie crowd who can see he is doing an excellent job.

And while it would be easy to cast envious glances at the big guns like Man City, Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal – arguably the strongest squads in the top flight – Pardew focuses only on his resources.

Between now and the next window he knows he has no choice but to get the best out of what he’s got.

His outlook has turned James Perch from a player training with the reserves into a key man in the first-team pool.

Big performances were also demanded from Ryan Taylor and, having recognised the faith being shown in him by Pardew, he responded last season with a string of top-notch displays to help contribute to the top-five finish.

Pardew has also used Shola Ameobi intelligently, earmarking him as a man for Europe but also making sure he gets his fair share of Premier League opportunities as an impact man from the bench to keep him sharp.

With Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba both currently on international duty he’s wise to do so, especially as Shola is his main strike option given Xisco and Nile Ranger are a million miles away from first-team consideration.

Elsewhere, the likes of Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, Mehdi Abeid, Romain Amalfitano and Gael Bigirimana must step up to the plate.

Will it be enough? Well, we’re about to find out.

Page 3: Club-by-club run-down on first-team players currently out of action

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